Broken Memories
by The Curse of Forever
Summary: He'd left her all alone. He was the love of her life, and he was gone now.


**AN: **Ok, This is the first ever fic I've written and actually been able to post up without insulting my intelligence. Hope you like it and please review to lemme know what you think :)

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Broken Memories

Me and my sister quietly sneaked down the stairs. Our mother had an automail patient in the other room and we had to be silent so as not to disturb them, and to not get caught.

In our living room there was a bookshelf. Mostly is was filled with books on automail, but there were some others mixed in, and one in particular had caught our interest.

I remembered when my sister and I, being the curious little girls we were, had been looking at the books. I had reached towards one in particular. Bound in leather it was old and worn, as if it had been looked at many times in the past. But as I had reached towards it, my mother had grabbed my arm and said, "Please, not that one." When I looked back into the cerulean eyes I had inherited, I was surprised to see such sadness held within their crystalline depths, that I had immediately pulled my hand away.

But I had continued to be curious about the worn album. What could that book possibly contain that made my brave strong mother look so sad? The look had not gone unnoticed by my younger sister either.

That's what led to both of us creeping down the stairs whilst our mom worked on a customers automail. We just had to see what was in the album. We worked quickly and quietly. I pulled the nearest chair towards the shelf and slipped the aforementioned book from the top shelf where it resided.

I jumped down and my sister and I sat side by side on the couch. The large book easily covering both of our small laps.

On the cover was a picture of a small girl. Our mother, I assumed, judging by the same blue eyes and long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail she still wore now. I lightly glided my hand over it, wiping some dust away, before opening it to the first page.

This one showed the same girl, at around ten years old, standing between a man and woman.

"Her parents," Gabriela whispered, so softly I had to strain my ears to hear her.

We had never met our grandparents, they had died in the Ishvalan Rebellion, serving as doctors. Another page showed our young mother happily holding up a squirming puppy. Then I turned the page. This one showed the same ten year old Winry we had seen in the previous pictures, but she was with two other people with her.

Her arms were hung around two boys of about the same age. One of them had a huge smile plastered across his face, his gray eyes shining, our mothers hand on his light brunette head. The other was scowling, though there was amusement in his golden eyes, the same color as his hair.

"Who are they?" I murmured, mostly to myself. But my sister looked up.

"What does it say Charlotte?" She was pointing with her chubby finger towards the slanted scrawl at the bottom of the page that I recognized as my mothers.

"W-Winry, Ed and Al," I read, a little shakily.

"Who're they?" My sister looked up at me with wide eyes. I could only shrugged.

Turning the page only revealed another picture of my mother. In this one she was much older. There was a teenage boy standing beside her. The same gold eyes and hair, though it was longer and hung back in a brain. Such a unique eye color, must be the same boy from the previous photo. He was flexing, one arm of flesh, and one of steel. The shorts he wore showing off the automail leg he was sporting as well. In the background was my mother, also a teenager now, with a large grin spread across her face. She was standing beside a large suit of armor who, for an inanimate object, managed to look thoroughly amused.

Other pages only revealed more pictures of the three, mom, the armor and the golden eyed boy. We were fascinated. So captivated with our mother's strange past, we didn't notice the presence of our father until he spoke.

"I thought your mother didn't want you looking at that." We both turned in surprise at his voice, slicing through our awe-like stupor.

"Sorry Daddy," Gabriela said shyly, looking up at him with the same green eyes he'd given to her. "We were just curious."

He just smiled, running a hand through his sandy blonde hair. "Well I guess that never hurt anything."

"Who are these people with Mommy?" The question caused my father's gaze to soften.

"Those are the Elrics," He said, sitting down beside us. "Edward and Alphonse," He pointed respectively to the gold haired boy and the suit of armor.

"How did she know them? Where are they now?" My sister squirmed in anticipation.

"They were her best friends," He said, a note of sadness in his voice. "And this one," He tapped a picture of the long haired blond, Edward. In the particular photograph my mothers arms were wrapped around his neck and a deep flush colored his features. "This is the man she was in love with."

"I don't understand," Gabriela said, shaking her head. "I though Mommy loved you."

"Oh, she does," My father replied. "But it's different. Your mother loves me, but this boy," he tapped the picture again. "She was truly loved him."

"Then why didn't she marry him?" I hadn't missed the melancholy yet envious look he'd given the blond in the picture.

"He's gone baby," Dad said, putting an arm around me. "And he can't come back."

"You mean he's dead," I said, letting disdain color my tone. I hated when adults tried to dumb things down for me just because I was young.

"No Charlotte, he's not dead, and your mother would put a wrench in the head of anyone who said so. Let's see, how to explain this," His voice trialed off for a bit.

"Okay, so you guys have learned about the Fullmetal Alchemist in school right?" He finally said.

"Yeah!" We both replied with enthusiasm.

"Hero of the People right?" I asked.

"Yep," He replied. "As you may have learned, he grew up here in Risenbool." We both nodded enthusiastically before he continued. "Well this was him." He nodded towards the blonde our mom was hugging.

"Really?" Gabriela asked, the wonder plain to see in her large eyes.

"Mom knew the Fullmetal Alchemist? But didn't he travel a lot?" At this my father nodded.

"He had to leave, and she was lonely, he only really ever came back to Risenbool when his automail needed fixed."

"Fullmetal Alchemist …don't they say after he saved central he and his brother … disappeared." I finished slowly, the puzzle pieces clicking into place. "I still don't understand though," I looked up at him. "Why didn't she wait for him like before?"

"He can't come back from where he went. I know that and your mother knows that. I knew when I proposed to her that I would always be second best. If she had any hope or reason to believe Ed would come back she wouldn't have said yes. Your mother loves me, but Edward," He paused for a second. "Edward is her soul mate."

I sat in silence for a bit, just absorbing all the information.

"Thank you so much Winry." I heard the voice just outside the room.

"Any time Mr. Samson. And please, if you have any problems, feel free to call me." I saw my mom standing with her elderly automail customer. She waved as he walked out the door. Then she turned to us.

"What are you guys looking at?" Winry asked peering over our shoulders.

I kept my eyes trained on her face. Her gaze softened to one of utmost love. The adoration impossible to miss in her clear blue eyes. I had seen her look at my father before, showing a kind of fondness, this look was different. Thousands of times more powerful and filled with longing. This kind of look wiped away any doubts I may have had about what my father had said.

I wanted someone to look at like that someday.

My mom gently took the scrapbook from us, still looking lovingly at the photo of her and her soul mate. I guess I understood. Some memories were just too painful.


End file.
